68. SOME ASPECTS OF THE POLITICS OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND THE POLITICS OF EMPOWERMENT. (Part 14 of 16)
Discrimination against women (and minorities) is still common in countries that have undergone significant economic growth where one would have…
67. WHY ARE WE SO OFTEN CONCILIATORY WHEN WE SHOULD BE CONFRONTATIONAL? (Part 13 of 16 )
To make sense of current world problems, we too often fall back on a “shish-kebab mentality”. This much easier and…
66. A DEAD-END OPTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. (Part 12 of 16)
A word of caution is called for at this point on the issue of what I call “pseudo-basic intervention techniques…
65. SO, WHAT HAVE WE ACHIEVED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS? HAVE WE BEEN USING THE APPROPRIATE STRATEGIES, TACTICS AND TOOLS IN THE BATTLE AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS? (Part 11 of 16)
As I had said earlier, factors such as foreign debt, international and national income maldistribution, the exploitation of the primary…
64. PASSIVITY MAKES US ACCOMPLICES OF THE STATUS-QUO. MANY OF US, WITH AN ACADEMIC APPROACH TO CHANGE, SHOULD NOT FORGET THIS. (Part 10 of 16)
Given the present conditions, the outlook for quantum changes in the human rights (HR) situation in the world appears to…
63. MANY AMONG US THINK THAT POLITICS IS DIRTY OR NOT A VIRTUOUS ACTIVITY. (Part 9 of 16)
Moralists, too often insist on quixotic actions against the injustices of the prevalent social system –which they also clearly condemn.…
62. THE POLITICAL IMPERATIVE IN HUMAN RIGHTS WORK. (Part 8 of 16)
An emotional commitment to human rights (HR) work is loose and romantic; a political commitment is more militant. People or…
61. PROJECTS DREAMED UP IN A SOCIAL VACUUM MUST PLAY THEMSELVES OUT IN THE REAL WORLD OF INJUSTICE AND CONFLICT. (Part 7 of 16)
The objective consequences of many a development project may turn out to be different from their original subjective intent. We…
60. AS HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS WE ARE TOO OFTEN COMMITTED TO STABILITY AS THE PREREQUISITE FOR JUSTICE…RATHER THAN THE OTHER WAY AROUND. (Part 6 of 16)
Much of what has been called liberal activism in the last half century has been merely an accommodation to historical…
59. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INJUSTICE ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT. (Part 5 of 16)
It should not come as a surprise that social and economic injustice is not an accident. It springs from the…